Resume Part One

The other night I rented Morning Glory --a romantic comedy starring Rachel McAdams as a newbie producer of a morning news show. I thought it was hilarious.  It got me thinking about working and my past jobs and how there seems to be a pattern that resonates with all twenty somethings and first jobs and perhaps that's why I thought this movie was so funny.

Have you seen the movie? How does your post grad experience match up?

I graduated in four years with a very generic degree and no idea what in the hell-o I wanted to do. So after a four day stint doing tours at the CNN center and taking MARTA into downtown every morning, I found myself a promising internship at a Children's Hospital in a more central area of Atlanta--it paid a whopping $200/week.  I spent the next five months preaching to my mother, my boyfriend, my best friend and anyone who would listen that if someone would just give me a chance, I would commit my life to showing them what a great job I could do. 

Just like the character in the movie; after stalking multiple people in parking lots, sending out numerous follow up emails and all but following the receptionist to the mailroom to make sure she delivered my resume; I finally got a few interviews where I completely oversold my meager five months post college work experience and promised that I would work day and night to make sure that my market would see share increases (whatever the hell that meant--I probably read it in Interviewing for Dummies). 

After an overly kind, very desperate woman who probably saw sucker tattooed on my forehead interviewed me, I had a job.

And just like Rachel McAdams in the movie, it took me about 5 seconds to realize I had been thrown into a lion's den. That the person before me had burnt bridges with almost all my clients, that there was no trust left with my organization, that I had a budget of about zero, that my market goals were ridiculous for my territory and that no class in college or in the expensive prep school my parents sold a kidney to pay for ever taught me how to write a business plan.

So I spent my first few months schlepping from office to office, wearing a suit my mother had bought me along with a smile that I hoped would keep me from getting my head bitten off by the angry receptionist. It took one year, lots of late nights, one panic attack on the side of Buford Highway and a lot of persuasion to actually pull off what they had asked me to do. I exceeded the goals for my territory in enough time to interview for my next job. Which turned out to be on the south side of Atlanta. Seriously, one of the first doctors I called on ended up on the news two weeks later for harassment of patients and drug reps. I was 25, had no husband or kids and got to travel every few months for work. I loved it!

And I continued this pattern, loving each job for different reasons and thriving on the challenges they shot my way until exactly a year ago....

when I retired to be a stay at home mother!

What one year "in the field" can do to a good pair of shoes